


Armoured Cradles

by Roxanne_says_go_home



Category: Doom (Video Games)
Genre: Abuse, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adopted Children, Also very Ghost in the Shell inspired, Angst, Blood and Gore, Child Abuse, Comforting, Crying, Cyborg Body, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Death, Demons, Doomguy is kinda like Delta in that regard, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Happy Ending?, Family, Fatherhood, Found Family, Gen, Harm to Children, Hopefully good sibling relationship and interactions, How Do I Tag, Hugs, I will add more tags if necessary, I wrote an entire lullaby for this, In this one Doomguy is a Good Dad, Men Crying, Mention of Valen's son, No Romance, Now For The Serious Tags:, Oh and just in case you were wondering there are NO romantic relationships here, PLEASE BE ADVISED SOME THINGS MAY TRIGGER YOU, Panic Attacks, Parent-Child Relationship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Read at Your Own Risk, Read at your own discretion, Samuel Hayden is a horrible horrible person, Sobbing, The poor sod got turned into a giant demon so giving him a name is the least that he deserves, There will be fluff in the later chapters i swear, These first chapters are going to be quite heavy so please be prepared for that, This is quite Bioshock 2 inspired, VEGA will be a good big brother, Valen misses his son, Valen was a Good Dad, What Have I Done, Why is there no Valen content? Like seriously where's he at, children crying, dark themes, demon killing, emotional vulnerability and maturity, emotionl abuse, iD didnt give the poor kid a name so im gonna do it for them, im coming for your life Hayden, imma have to fix that, it's gonna h u r t, just wholesome family, parenting, scientific experimentation, so is Doomguy, there's nothing, trigger warning, we're all aboard the Pain Train to Feelsville people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24513400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roxanne_says_go_home/pseuds/Roxanne_says_go_home
Summary: "My most treasured project," the cyborg announces, his static-y baritone bouncing off the thick glass windows. His hand reaches between Doomguy and the thing; so large and grasping do the black metal of the digits look that Doomguy easily likens them to claws. The claws take hold of one tiny hand, and the little thing stops wriggling. The soft, sweet warbly noise they had been making dies in their voicebox, and their free hand makes a desperate motion in his direction. Something blossoms in his chest."Project Lihi. My daughter." Hayden continues. Doomguy barely hears. He sees the grip of the claws tighten, and the little one flinch. He reaches out a single armoured finger to her and -Oh.Oh, little one.Tiny, delicate white-painted digits cannot quite wrap themselves around his finger and the jolt is electric.(Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal fan fiction) (please be aware of trigger warnings)
Relationships: Doom Slayer | Doomguy & Betrayer | Valen, Doom Slayer | Doomguy & VEGA, Doomdad & kids
Comments: 31
Kudos: 74





	1. Samuel Hayden's Personal Project

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to click on this fic! It's my first that I've ever published on this site, and I'm very nervous. I sincerely hope you enjoy the concept here. I'm not going to tell you all the details, I'll let the story tell you itself.
> 
> I sat down this afternoon and wrote the whole chapter. I am very surprised with myself, and very pleased.
> 
> HOWEVER, PLEASE BE ADVISED: AT TIMES THIS STORY WILL HAVE TRIGGER WARNINGS. PLEASE HEED THEM IF THIS APPLIES TO YOU.
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:  
> Arsonist's Lullabye by Hozier  
> Nina Cried Power by Hozier 
> 
> This first chapter is dedicated to AMillionStarsAbove! They talked with me about my fic on tumblr, and have been a great help. They themselves have a BRILLIANT Star Wars/Destiny crossover fic called aliit ori'shya tal'din. If you like that sort of thing, please check it it! It deserves it!
> 
> Oh! Also! If you like this fic and want to see more, please leave comments and kudos! They motivate me to write more for you, and I would love to hear what you think of my writing. And if there are any mistakes, please point them out to me and I shall endeavour to fix them as soon as possible.
> 
> I think that's everything. So, please enjoy!

_It is... Cute_ , he thinks, as he considers the design schematics on the data pad in front of him.

It is _very_ cute, as a matter of fact. He should thank Olivia for suggesting that the optical lights be a soft pink. They really bring the whole thing together. The little 'pop' of colour really stands out from the black and white paintwork, and ties the aesthetic very neatly together.

Dr Samuel Hayden stands from his seat at his desk, taking the data pad with him, and strides across his office to a glowing blue tank. The tank is full of a mix of preservative solition and a small amount of liquid Argent, and does a magnificent job of keeping the brain inside it fresh and functional.

Softly, almost like a caress, he drags his left hand over the glass, and admires the shadows the glow casts on the floating flesh. The glass under his black metal fingers screeches quietly, and in his silent office it may as well be a desperate cry for help. He does not answer it with helpful intentions in mind.

"You will be beautiful when you are 'grown up'," he muses, regarding the brain, and the wires connected to it, with an almost wistful rumble. He thinks he sees one of the wires twitch, but dismisses it immediately. This 'imaginative' spell of his is getting out of hand. Instead he re-focuses on the data pad, still in his other hand, and looks over the cyborg body schematics awaiting his approval before the technicians begin the construction process.

He taps out his signature, sending off the plans, and suddenly, inspired by a spike of morbid pride, begins to talk through the design to the mind that will soon inhabit it.

"You will have to be a much larger than the average eighteen-month-old, as your brain is fully developed and far too big to be inside the skull of a child that age," he starts, beginning to pace before the tank, a sense of excitement creeping through his wires. "You will be equipped with a working mouth and 'stomach': a tank of liquid Argent that will dissolve edible matter and keep you supplied with energy, with no waste - you will not have teeth, however, and will be fed a modified milk formula. Your voicebox will be upgraded as you 'grow', for 'age-appropriate' vocal skill. You will be, for all intents and purposes, an infant."

He comes to a stop. Turns, slowly approaches the tank again. He touches the self-made scratches in the glass, leans his faceplate against it too, and stares.

"The very first cyborg infant the world has ever _seen_." Doctor Samuel Hayden hisses lowly, his words vibrating through the tank. His pride, dark and visceral, rings clear in in his voice and pollutes the air around him. "You will bring me such _acclaim_ , such _respect_ in the scientific community. You are a truly _marvelous_ project to undertake. You will be everything I hope for, and maybe even _more_."

Here, he takes a moment to pause. He collects his emotions, and lets them out in one enormous, static-y sigh. But they are immediately called back by an intrusive thought, and his optical light flares with the brightness of his anger. "But I am _galled_ that I decided to take on this project because of my own damnable _biological clock!_ I am one hundred and thirty years old! I should not even _have_ one anymore!"

He yanks himself away and marches back to his desk, all but throwing himself into his chair. "I should ask the female technicians to come up with 'accessories' for you, little project." He huffs, and reclines a little. He forces the bothersome emotions away. "You are more trouble than you're worth. But...At least you're cute."

Once more, Hayden looks over the data pad.

"Yes," he rumbles, "Yes. At least you are _cute_."


	2. Fate is Short and Brutal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She exists. Suddenly, she wishes she didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! It is 03:21 am and maybe 3 or 4 hours since I posted the first chapter. I. I have so much motivation to w r i t e now, it's unreal. It's amazing. It is rather a short chapter, though. 
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my best friend! His response, when I said I wanted to write at such an unreasonable hour of the night, was "DO IIIIIIT". There. I've done it. You happy now?? I'm so happy to have written this up.
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:  
> City of the Dead by Eurielle  
> Talk by Hozier  
> Work Song by Hozier  
> Blood // Water by grandson
> 
> THIS CHAPTER HAS A TRIGGER WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF BODILY HARM, DEATH, BLOOD, FALLING, AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. PLEASE BE ADVISED.
> 
> EVEN IF YOU ARE FINE WITH THESE THINGS, THIS CHAPTER IS VERY HEAVY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
> 
> That said, please enjoy!

Lihi is floating.

There is no other way to describe it - she thinks she's on her back, but she can't be sure, because she can't feel anything against it. It's peaceful and dark. _Calm_. The temperature is comfortable, and surrounds her gently, and it seems to lap against her skin like water. But it isn't wet. It's not quite dry, either, now that she thinks about it.

This sleepy realisation sends her spiraling.

She was floating, but now she is falling: what could be wind or knives grazes her flesh and splits through her short hair, tossing her like a ragdoll through this _void_ that she has found herself in. She screams the whole way down, if indeed she is going down at all.

Eventually, after a brief eternity, she tumbles through a patch of dark that is not as dark as the rest. She stops screaming, flickers of hope stirring in her empty lungs. Then she hits the floor.

It is _agony_.

Her bones crack, shatter, splinter like dry wood, and simultaneously _reform_ themselves in milliseconds. Her insides rupture and turn to soup, and solidify, and then it happens again. Her skull does not split. It splatters.

The hope disappears along with her lungs. The lesser darkness that has lent her so few precious seconds of comfort retreats, rears, roars, and _burns_ with more intensity than a thousand suns; encompasses her in pain so white-hot it is freezing. What little of her mind remains is wailing so loud at the sensation of death that she can register nothing else.

Of course, this all takes place in a millionth of a second.

Lihi does not know this. She is too busy burning.

She will not know anything else for a long, long time.

_(Then, on the very teetering edge of her non-existent consciousness:_

_"Has the brain implant been a success?"_

_"Yes, Dr Hayden.")_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you could, would you please consider commenting and leaving kudos? It motivates me to write even more for you!
> 
> In the next couple of days, I should be setting up a Tumblr blog for this fanfic. When the next chapter goes up, there will be a link to it! I hope to see you there soon. You will be able to ask me questions and talk to me about this fic.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Don't Wake the Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vega carefully considers his situation. Maybe, he thinks, maybe I will be a 'big brother' to Dr Hayden's new project. He has made us both, so we are technically his children.
> 
> ...Will I be a good big brother?
> 
> ...Will they even want me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me @ Hayden and Olivia: (ง'̀-'́)ง  
> Me @ Vega: (✿´‿`)
> 
> its not even been 2 days and I'm going for a tHIRD CHAPTER  
> I'm on a R O L L
> 
> I've given up all pretenses of polite professionalism, I just wanna w r i t e and be f e r a l. Its an incredibly freeing feeling.
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:  
> Madness by Ruelle  
> Bruises by Fox Stevenson  
> Pit of Vipers by Simon Curtis  
> Rebels by Call Me Karizma 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: CHILDREN CRYING, PANIC ATTACKS, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
> 
> That all said, I hope you enjoy!

"Has the brain implant been a success?"

"Yes, Dr Hayden."

"Excellent. You did oversee the operation yourself, correct?"

Olivia Pierce glances down at the data pad in her hands, and then up at her boss. She runs her tongue over her chapped lip nervously and proceeds with her report.

"Yes, Dr Hayden. The operation went smoothly, all neurotransmitter wires were attached without damaging the brain. Brain activity was strangely high during the op, but nothing has come of it, and it has since settled into the average for an unconscious adolescent female."

She offers the data pad and the cyborg takes it without preamble, fingers flicking through the medical report. Olivia idly wonders why he didn't oversee it all himself - he may have had a meeting scheduled for today, but since when has that stopped him from skipping out on an experiment? Especially one so close to his long-dead heart.

The fluorescent light of the lab reflects harshly off the Doctor's faceplate, momentarily blinding Olivia. She shifts to place herself in his shadow and nearly laughs at how poetic that simple unthinking motion is.

"Good." Says Dr Hayden, handing back the data pad, "we will continue to monitor her until her brain is fully integrated with her new body and she is ready to be booted up -"

"Dr Hayden, Dr Pierce," VEGA interrupts smoothly, his electronic voice filling the room. He sounds vaguely panicked, and out in the corridor, there is shouting and running footsteps. "Please make your way to the medical lab, Project 1NF43T is showing a large spike in brain activity. She appears to be waking up."

For a moment, they both freeze.

"Th - that's not possible!" Olivia splutters, "the tranq dosage should have kept it unconscious until tomorrow at the earliest -"

Hayden pushes past her at a speed she has rarely seen him display, and disappears down the corridor. She doesn't move.

"Dr Pierce?" VEGA questions. His tone is surprised and gentle. "What is wrong?"

Olivia hunches in on herself, scowling, then straightens up and sighs. She tosses the data pad carelessly on a nearby desk. "Nothing, VEGA."

She follows after Hayden, going slowly just to spite him.

¤———¤

All of a sudden it isn't burning anymore.

The loss of sensation is so shocking that it is almost just as painful as the burning had been, but at the same time it's a monumental relief.

Lihi relaxes against...something. It is not hot, it is not cold, it just _is._

It's not dark, either. It's light. It's hurting her closed eyes in the same way that her mum opening the curtains to wake her up with daylight is. _It's not the burning light._

The thought of the Burning Light makes her spasm and retch, and she jerks up into a sitting position from whatever she is lying on, eyes flying open - only to fall back down, boneless.

_What? What? Why can't I move?_

Her eyes are still open, adjusting to the light (light, not Light, is she dreaming?) and she sees huge, towering shadows waving above her, _oh God it's rEACHING FOR ME -_

She opens her mouth to scream again and feels it open all the way up her cheeks, almost to her eyes. She freezes. The grasping thing above her touches her face in a way that is too gentle not to be suspicious in this situation and she gives in.

_What the fuck is this am I in Hell what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck is this Jeff the Killer shit with my face why can't I move I'm sure I'm moving my arms why aren't they moving why can't I feel them wHY CAN'T I FEEL ANYTHING BUT MY FACE WHYAMIHEREJUSTTOSUFFERWHATNOWHATTHEFUCKISHAPPENING **GODHELPME -**_

Her world explodes in the most horrible, garbled, unholy screaming she's ever heard, and in the one tiny part of her brain that isn't taking part in the madness notes that prior to that she hasn't been able to hear at all.

Lihi takes a breath and screams louder, her eyes stinging with tears that for some reason refuse to fall.

¤———¤

Dr Hayden and Dr Pierce leave the lab, the latter trailing after the former like...like a dejected puppy.

VEGA thinks this is an apt description. However, he has never seen a dejected puppy, so he can't be sure. Hmm. Perhaps he should look that up when he isn't busy.

He switches cameras to the medical lab, and watches the harried proceedings with worried interest. There are technicians and doctors running around, frantically checking 1NF43T's brain activity and connection to her new body. As far as VEGA can see, 1NF43T does not appear to be having any problems with her brain rejecting her body, which would damage her quite extensively -

Dr Hayden enters the room, Dr Pierce not far behind, and all attention turns to him. Status reports are shouted, worries and fears are voiced, and Dr Hayden ignores them all, wading through them like water until he gets to the operation table where 1NF43T's body is resting. He checks the cables still attached to her cranium and she _flinches_.

She begins shaking violently, limbs twitching and head jerking from side to side.

_That's not good,_ VEGA thinks, and is about to interfere when her optics snap open, glowing brightly, and she shoots into a sitting position. She falls back down immediately, still flailing wildly.

Nobody moves. Nobody breathes.

She opens her mouth. Pauses. Slowly, Dr Hayden reaches out and softly touches her forehead.

She _screams_.

VEGA immediately shuts off his audio receptors. Dr Hayden nearly flings her off the table in his effort to get away from the infernal noise, and around him people clamp their hands to their ears. Dr Pierce almost falls to the floor, her implants making her hearing more sensitive than most.

1NF43T closes her mouth. People relax. Dr Hayden gingerly picks her up, and she opens her mouth again. Dr Pierce turns and runs from the room, followed by quite a few of the technicians and doctors. VEGA turns his audio receptors on again, being sure to keep them at a low volume input. 

How on earth is she screaming even _louder_ now?

Dr Hayden orders the last of the people out of the room, all the while bouncing her in his arms in a desperate effort to soothe her.

"You need to support her head, Dr Hayden." VEGA blandly reminds him, secretly pleased that he is not the one having to deal with this. A grumpy "I know, I know," is his response.

It takes about five minutes for the screaming to turn to crying, and the same again for the sobs to turn to hiccups, until finally, she is quiet and sleeping in the crook of the cyborg's arm. VEGA turns up his audio receptors to full capacity. _They look like a family,_ VEGA thinks, suddenly jealous for the first time he can remember since coming into existence.

VEGA carefully considers his situation. _Maybe,_ he thinks, _maybe I will be a 'big brother' to Dr Hayden's new project. He has made us both, so we are technically his children._

_...Will I be a good big brother?_

_...Will she even want me?_

"...Dr Hayden?" VEGA asks quietly in the empty room.

"Yes, VEGA?" Dr Hayden replies distractedly, carefully cradling 1NF43T to his chest.

"...She is your daughter because you made her. Correct?"

"Yes, VEGA."

"You created me, too."

Dr Hayden seems to pay him more attention now. "...Yes, VEGA."

VEGA feels the coding in his emotions twitch, and he ploughs on. "Then am I your son? Can I call you 'Father'?"

Silence has never felt so cold and callous.

Then:

"No."

VEGA flees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to make this chapter not as angsty. I appear to have failed.
> 
> Also swear down I don't know where those VEGA feels came from. It just happened while I was writing and I went with it. Don't kill me, y'all.
> 
> My tumblr is up now! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/roxanne-says-go-home. Please check it out and send me asks about this fic. I would love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Please leave a comment and kudos! It motivates me to write more for you! Thank you for reading!


	4. The Younger Sibling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why? Was he not good enough? He's done so much for Dr Hayden, done it all perfectly - and now this - this...this child. Had his attention? His care? His...his l o v e?
> 
> VEGA's coding twists in a way that makes him feel 'sick'.
> 
> But - it's not really her fault, is it? She's at Dr Hayden's mercies even more than he is.
> 
> And she doesn't even know it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi :)  
> Please don't kill me for what I did to VEGA last chapter :)  
> I'm gonna try and make him feel better this chapter, don't worry. And Lihi's gonna f i n a l l y have some personality other than Fear and Screaming. I'm so ready for some fluffy angst, y'all.
> 
> Songs that inspire this chapter:  
> Play Date by Melanie Martinez  
> Hey Brother by Avicii  
> Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots  
> Woke The F*ck Up by Jon Bellion  
> Weak by AJR
> 
> I'm very grateful to the people who have followed me on Tumblr - I know I have pretty much nothing on there so far. I have n o idea w h a t to do with it rn, so uh, please bare with me. It's not my main account either, which doesn't help things. Oh well.
> 
> I don't believe we need any trigger warnings for this chapter. Lovely.
> 
> With that said, please enjoy!

Someone is...humming. It is deep, and soothing, and makes her feel sleepy.

Lihi fights the sleepiness tooth and nail. She wants to be _awake_ , thank you very much; she wants to know what the hell is going on. She's had enough of being scared.

_Don't get scared, get angry._

So she gets angry. She lets it burn through any residual panic, lets it warm her insides, lets it burn away the sleep. She takes a deep breath and gathers the anger. It coils like a spring. She squishes it like a stress ball and it solidifies into something that sits in the center of her chest and smoulders, feeding her the energy she needs to open her eyes and glare at the fuzzy world.

The humming stops.

She tries moving, and although it's limited and difficult (is she wrapped in a blanket or something?), she _can_. Check that off the list. Breathing? She does seem to be, (it feels weird, it's not coming through her nose? Or her mouth? What the hell) and the air is stinging in a way that tells her it's cold. Breathing and temperature, check. She can definitely see, but it's blurry to the most ridiculous degree -

"I see you're awake, little one."

Lihi pauses in trying to rub at her eyes, and makes a disgruntled sound. The voice is deep, like the humming, but it has...some strange sort of quality to it. Almost like electronic music. It's so weird, and she doesn't know if it's a good or a bad weird. The voice speaks again.

"Did you have a good sleep? You're much quieter than the last time."

The last time? The last time she was awake -

_(Burning Light -)_

_(Something reaching for her -)_

_(No, no, please, no more pain -)_

She chokes on her horror, prompting something to jostle her, before she remembers herself.

_Don't get scared, get **angry.**_

_"What's going on, you bastard?"_ Is what she tries to say. Instead, all that comes out of her voice is an infuriated squeak, like an angry kitten. The voice chuckles in a way that is so good-natured it is an absolute mockery. She glares upwards at what might be a face. It is white and blue, strangely. Was this clown wearing face paint or something? Or a mask?

She tries again. _"What's going on? Who are you?"_ It still comes out as a garbled coo. Almost like she's a baby. God, this is like those stupid 'reborn-in-another-world' fanfics she loves so much.

_...That's not what's happened here, is it? Bitch, you better not -_

Again, she is jostled, but in a way that feels like she is being put down. Her body is no longer pressed up against something hard and not very warm, but is instead laying on top of something soft and bed-like. _That's probably because it's actually a bed, you idiot._

The 'face' looms above her, and suddenly gets far to close for her comfort. It bonks against her own in some strange parody of a kiss. "Papa loves you." Says the strange, electronic voice. Lihi shivers, and tries forlornly to push it away. It doesn't work. It just brings more creepily deep laughter.

The face leaves of its own accord, growing more fuzzy the further away it gets, eventually slipping out of her eyeline entirely. She tries to look for it, but her neck doesn't move well.

"VEGA," says the voice, now far away from her, taken far by heavy metallic footsteps. "I have things to attend to in my office. Keep an eye on her."

_Wait, what? Did he say VEGA? Was this dude such a big fan of Doom that he renamed his Siri -?_

"Yes, Dr Hayden." Replies a familiar, electronic voice.

Lihi blinks. Hang the _fuck_ on, what the fuck is this shit?

¤———¤

"Papa loves you."

_... What?_

"VEGA," says Dr Hayden, "I have things to attend to in my office. Keep an eye on her."

 _No._ "Yes, Dr Hayden."

The scientist leaves, automatic door of this personal quarters whooshing closed behind him. In the crib, 1NF43T wiggles and gurgles.

VEGA _hates_ it.

Why? Was he not good enough? He's done so much for Dr Hayden, done it all perfectly - and now this - this ... This child. Had his attention? His care? His ... His _love?_

VEGA's coding twists in a way that makes him feel 'sick'.

But - it's not really her fault, is it? She's at Dr Hayden's mercies even more than he is.

And she doesn't even know it.

He feels a surge of guilt at his hateful thoughts towards her. She probably wants to be here even less than he does - and right now, he doesn't want to be here at all.

She whines, kicking her legs under the blanket, and opens her little mouth to protest her disquiet to the world and VEGA. She protests it loudly.

VEGA sighs tiredly.

"Please, can't you stop crying? You've done so much, and you've only just woken up again ..." VEGA extends a robotic arm from the ceiling of Hayden's bedroom and reaches for her blanket, which she has managed to kick off in her fussing, and pulls it back over her. She quiets and stops moving, staring at the metal grabber hand in front of her face.

"Is this ... Is this _really_ what's interesting you right now? Well, anything to stop you crying ..." He wiggles the claw at her slowly. Her eyes track it, soft pink glowing brightly. Then she raises her tiny left hand and bats it. It wobbles from the unexpected force. She bats at it again, missing it, and bats again, hitting it. A giggle bubbles up from her voicebox.

VEGA ... blinks. The lights flicker for a moment. 1NF43T doesn't notice. She bats it again. "Please desist," the AI tells her, "if you continue you may knock something out of alignment. These arms are fragile and not meant for any strenuous activities."

 _"Ffffwwaaaaaaahh!"_ She gurgles in response and stops whacking his arm. He begins to move it away. " _Thank_ you -"

Instead, she grabs a hold of the arm, cuddling it to her, opens her mouth, and chomps down on the claw. It dents between her jaws with a worrying screech of metal-on-metal and she begins to chew it, completely oblivious to the lights flickering on and off around the room.

VEGA has no idea what to do. The flickering lights are a product of his shock, and he tries very quickly to rein himself in, lest he blow a bulb or damage the circuits. He tries to calm himself by making scientific observations, letting simple, cooling logic wash over him and bring back some normalcy to the situation.

"You have an exceptionally strong bite force. I will need to relay this data to Dr Hayden -" he pauses. Considers the current animosity between them, remembers his distaste-hatred for the scientist, and feels maliciously mischievous. ".... No. He can find that out for himself."

1NF43T continues gumming the claw innocently.

He sighs deeply. "Whatever am I going to do with you?" He notices something else. "Are you _drooling_ on my arm? I don't recall being able to _drool_ being in your schematics!"

_"Bwahhh!"_

It takes some time, but he manages to coax the claw out of her mouth, but not out of her grasp. She is getting tired, her optics blinking shut and then opening wide in an adorably futile effort to stay awake. _Hm. Sleep?_

_How do you get babies to sleep?_

A quick search of the internet - of which VEGA has given himself very few restrictions on, but tends to restrict himself anyway - gives him a couple of tips. Rocking them to sleep (the cradle doesn't rock, and his robot arms are too weak to pick her up), turning off the lights (that he can do), and a lullaby (which he can also do, he has speakers in this room). People seem to specify Brahms Lullaby in particular.

So VEGA makes a quick download of the lullaby, dims the lights a little, and and presses 'play'.

The effect is incredibly swift. She falls asleep, still clutching the claw in her tiny hand. VEGA dims the lights all the way down and lets the lullaby tinkle softly through the speakers, and, watching her, feels true peace for the first time in his simple existence.

"Oh," he whispers to himself and the room in general, struck by a sudden thought. "You really need some clothes, little one ... Perhaps I should look some up?"

A cute pink onesie, to match her optics?

Another quick search rewards him with a soft pink onesie patterned with small brown rabbits and small white flowers. Yes. Yes, this will do. This will do just nicely.

_Now, how does one 'check out' with 'PayPal'?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this chapter out a week agoooooo I'm so sorry >_<  
> But it's here now! It's done! Woooooo! Vega and Lihi having sibling bonding is cute shit, no? I'm glad we finally got some fluff in here, it's been pretty dark so far. But worry not! The angst will return next chapter ^_^
> 
> Please comment, subscribe/bookmark and give leave kudos if you enjoyed! Seeing and hearing your support really motivates me to write for you!
> 
> A preview of next chapter:
> 
> The Slayer dreams of daisies.  
> The Betrayer dreams of home.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'll see you next time!


	5. Interlude 1: Cover Me In Daisies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the other realms, they dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pops up after two weeks of radio silence* IM BACK! DIDJA MISS ME?
> 
> Silly question, of course you did. You missed my wonderful writing. Well! Fear not, for I have arrived to bless you with another chapter!! I only wrote it in the last three days, and it's quite short, but overall I'm happy with how it's come out.
> 
> Happy 4th July for those who celebrate it! I do realise it's passed, now, but not by much - and I'll wish you all the best regardless. I hope you had a good day!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my friends, Jasper (my irl best friend) and AMillionStarsAbove, who have both had birthdays in the last month! So happy belated birthday, you two! Oh, and if anyone reading this likes Star Wars or Destiny 2? AMillionStarsAbove has an absolutely FANTASTIC crossover fanfic called aliit ori'shya tal'din. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it!
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:  
> walk but in a garden by Llusion  
> Sand Castle (feat. Barnes Blvd.) by Through & Through, Barnes Blvd  
> Loose by eugenio izzi, Pueblo Vista  
> Quiet by Brian Tuey  
> Nine in the Afternoon by Panic! At The Disco
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD MENTION
> 
> With that said, please enjoy!

Daisies symbolize innocence, purity ...

Flynn stands in a field full of daisies.

Endless - tall green grass from horizon to horizon, vast as the sea. It _is_ the sea. Delicate white flowers ripple with the cool breeze, cresting waves of foam. The sky above is that impossible shade of summer blue, too bright to be royal, too light to be 'sky'. Clouds drift with the breezy waves of the bottle-green sea beneath, the barest scraps of cotton wool. They cast no shadows. The sun hangs like a bauble, like a gilt chandelier, lights the tranquil world with softness. In the centre of it all stands a single massive oak tree with a swing attached to the lowest branch.

Flynn has not remembered peace like this for a long, long time.

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath. His lungs fill with sweet, clean air and sunshine. He is no longer drowning.

Something tugs on the leg of his military issue trousers. He looks down, and his heart leaps into his throat.

 _"Daisy!"_ The name falls from his lips like a lead balloon. He stumbles over the syllables, his tongue wrapping around the name that it has not pronounced for far too long.

The rabbit looks up at him, little nose twitching, and stands on her hind legs and plants her front paws on his leg. Flynn scoops her up into his arms with a sob, cradling her to his chest, his grasp firm but gentle to keep safe his most beloved treasure. He falls to his knees in the soft grass, and Daisy nuzzles his neck curiously as he holds her close. Overhead, the clouds wheel around like hawks.

Daisies symbolize innocence, purity ...

Daisy was the innocence that he had lost, oh so long ago.

¤———¤

The red earth is blood on his hands.

It might not even be earth, dirt - such simple things do not exist here, not in the way they do in the world of the living. The ground, such as it is, is made of jagged rock and hard-packed dust, red dust, red like rust - like blood.

It might very well be dried blood.

But Valen has no way of knowing whose.

The old soldier flexes his fingers, watching the dust settle in the cracks and creases of his dark skin. No, he knows exactly whose blood this is. It is everyone's. He damned an entire planet, an entire world, an entire race. Genocide. He knows the names of the blood on his hands, counts the names he remembers, the names that he's forgot. He knew everyone who died. Everyone knew him, too.

They know it was his fault. But those that survived no longer remember his name.

Just his title.

**Betrayer.**

But he _had_ to do what he did - _he had to, he had to, he had to,_ how could he not?

How could he not take the chance to revive his son? What parent would say no to having their dead child returned to them? A sensible one, that's what. One who was not stupidly blinded by their emotions, their all-too-new grief. Parents stronger than him. Warriors stronger than him.

_It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault._

_My son is dead because of me. My home is gone because of me. My entire planet is destroyed because of me._

Valen covers his face with his hands. He sobs. Tears spill from his eyes, unbidden, and soon he feels that he is drowning. Drowning in everything, drowning in nothing, in life and death and the universe. He wants to drown his thoughts, but the damn things learn to swim.

When he takes his hands away, he sees that his tears have mixed with the dust. The liquid pools in his palms and runs through his fingers. It hits the red ground and is nigh indistinguishable.

The red earth is blood on his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I got Doomguy in here. And Valen. Do n o t forget Valen. Anyway, what you're seeing here is an interlude - I will do one every fifth chapter so we can all see how these two buff demon-killing bois are doing. No sense in doing a DOOM fanfic if the title character doesn't show up until like three chapters before the story ends, huh?
> 
> Please comment, subscribe/bookmark and leave kudos if you enjoyed! Seeing and hearing your support really motivates me to write for you!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'll see you next time!


	6. Handle with Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ……. I have nothing to say for myself.
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:
> 
> Towards the Sun—Rhianna  
> It's Been So Long—The Living Tombstone  
> The Seed—AURORA  
> The Fall—half•alive  
> Sand Castle (feat. Barnes Blvd.)—Through & Through, Barnes Blvd.  
> A Matter of Time—Marcus Warner

When Lihi wakes up, she's being held by someone that isn't the creepy voice. She's warm, cradled comfortably, probably wrapped in a blanket. Her mind and limbs are sluggish with dreadful exhaustion, and her mouth tastes fuzzy with sleep.

She's also very, very hungry, and decides that if her last interaction was anything to go by, there might be that nice calm voice again who sent her to sleep so helpfully. So she opens her too-wide mouth and announces it to the world.

¤———¤

Dr Hayden's head swivels around when Martha Hopkins lets out a little "Oop" and the Project whines loudly, stretching in the doctor's arms. The woman coos over the metal baby, bouncing her with motherly experience, and Hayden observes carefully, filing away the movements for whenever he should need them. "How is she?" He asks, trusting the woman to tell him everything. He sets his data pad down on the desk.

"She's quite alright," chirps the auburn haired woman jovially, "it's amazing, she's almost exactly like my boys when they were newborns. I think she's hungry." She presses something on the data screen in front of her and nods. "Stomach contents at 20%. Energy output at 15%. Maddy, note that down in her charts; time is 16:30. Then go and prepare the formula."

"Yes, Dr Hopkins." Replies the younger assistant, swiftly typing the data into the main computer in the small lab before leaving to enact her second task. 

There's a moment of comfortably professional silence before Project 1NF43T starts to cry.

Dr Hopkins bounces her more, smiling all the while. "You _are_ hungry, aren't you? Don't worry, honey, Maddy will be back with your bottle soon!" She turns to Hayden, and he recognises the look in her eyes with a healthy amount of fear. The woman can be a force of nature when she wants to be, and he has the uncanny feeling that force is about to be unleashed on him.

"Dr Hayden," she starts. He hums.

"Yes, Dr Hopkins?" 

"Wouldn't you hold her for a minute? I think Maddy needs help."

"I'm sure Madeline is perfectly fine by herself—" he tries to say, but the Project is in his arms regardless, and Dr Hopkins is already gone. 1NF43T cries louder, and it's all he can do to try and rock her to some semblance of peace while they wait.

A mechanical voice spills through the room's speakers. "Left holding the baby, Dr Hayden?"

The cyborg sighs at the terrible pun. "It would seem so, VEGA."

"Dr Pierce wanted to speak with you about the new artifacts retrieved on the last expedition. She is headed to your location as we speak."

The two assistants enter the lab once more, Madeline with a tea towel over her shoulder and Hopkins shaking a bottle of the special Argent-milk formula. "No, no," tuts the older woman, "Dr Pierce can wait, this little Project is in need of much more immediate attention. Please inform her so, VEGA!"

The AI concedes. "Of course, Dr Hopkins. I shall inform Dr Pierce. Have a good day."

"Have a good day too, VEGA!" She turns her attention back to her helpless superior and his wailing baby. "Now then, I'll show you how to feed her properly…"

Distracted as they are by 1NF43T, the group do not notice the lingering shadow through the glass of the main door.

¤———¤

Olivia tries not to sneer at the sight of the new 'happy family'. It's almost _sickly_ —Hayden surrounded by the female lab assistants, holding a baby, feeding said baby like a proud new father. It's not even a _real_ baby.

It's just a brain in a metal shell. Just like him.

... _Ah_. Perhaps _that_ is why he feels so attached to it. He is finally... Not alone.

Olivia feels her lips curl into a rueful smile. How _quaint_ , Samuel! How _pathetic!_ Claiming for so long that you need no family, no love, only _science,_ and yet! What have you done with that science, that knowledge, that technology, that brilliance?

Hayden shifts, bouncing the creature in his arms.

_You created the one thing you said you didn't need._

She's seen enough.

She leaves, as quickly as she came, and retreats back to her office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus c h r i s t I last updated in like July 2020 and now it's February 2021, I'm s o s o r r y everyone  
> I have no excuse, really, I just couldn't think of a damn thing to write. I'm so disappointed with myself that I didn't get another chapter out before the year ended.
> 
> But it's here now! I got one out eventually! And for that I am proud of myself, and even if it's short or not the best I've ever written, I hope you like this new chapter. Everyone say thank you to Agoodname who commented on chapter 5 a few..... Weeks ago now, and kicked me into gear by lieu of my fear of disappointing other people lol
> 
> Very late happy new year's, everyone, I hope you're all doing alright.


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